


Disgust, Delusion, Devotion

by brandidy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Teacher Ben Solo, ben is the absolute asshole teacher, ben solo is basically kylo ren, but they both love the daughter, fast burn, hux and plasma have a kid and rey is the nanny, nanny rey, nanny/teacher au, rey is a sweetheart who will knock your teeth in, wow slow burn who?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-05-08 15:27:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14697018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandidy/pseuds/brandidy
Summary: Rey didn't think the child she watched would have such an attractive teacher. She couldn't help but look him over when she first met him for the parent teacher conference. She had fantastic luck-Oh.Then Ben Solo decided to speak.





	1. Disgust

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea earlier this morning, and then it kind of spread like the bubonic plague.

“Everyone thinks he looks like a cat!”

Rey laughed at the young girl, smiling patiently as she talked animatedly while sliding into her pink shorts that had lace sewn over the thighs. Rey was sitting in the child’s large bedroom in a stool that she had bought and refurbished at a garage sale. In her dainty hands were a white shirt with the design of a butterfly and white socks with pink lining. She waited until the girl had finished buttoning the front of her shorts before holding the shirt out to her.

“I’m serious, Rey! And everyone is super scared of him,” the girl whispered the last part, despite the two of them being the only ones in the house at the time.

Rey held out the socks next, sliding grey tennis shoes over to the girl with a cock of her head while she struggled to put the socks on her feet. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Mara.”

Mara stopped struggling and smiled up at Rey, and Rey was left once more wondering how she had become so attached to this little girl in less than three months. “I know. He’s kind of mean, but I think he’s also kind of nice.”

Today was the day of the parent teacher conference, and since both Armitage and his wife Phasma were currently on a business trip until tomorrow afternoon, Phasma had asked Rey to step in and just let them know what Mara’s teacher had talked about. She hadn’t been working there long, so the request had struck Rey with a sense of pride that they had come to trust her with their daughter so quickly. Rey had received the position of Mara’s nanny in late July, and it was now mid October. Rey usually came over around 6am, got Mara’s lunch and outfit ready, woke her up, dropped her off at school, picked her up from school, and helped her with her homework. Sometimes either Armitage or Phasma got home early enough to let Rey off early, other times Rey stayed until they came home late into the night, or on occasions like this she stayed a few nights in the guest room that now had more of her stuff than her actual apartment.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she pulled out her phone and realized what time it was. “Oh, Mara! We have to hurry. I lost track of time,” Rey jumped up from her stool, rushing out of the door and down the stairs to grab Mara’s backpack and lunch off of the kitchen bar. “Ready?” She asked, spinning on her heels. Mara was standing by the door, hands tangling in her long auburn hair to try and put it in a ponytail. When the girl registered Rey’s question, she eagerly nodded and opened the front door. Rey followed her out.

“9 o’clock, don’t forget!” Mara reminded her when they reached the front of the private school. Rey still wasn’t used to seeing the ornate entrance to an elementary school, it being such a juxtaposition to what she hazily remembered of her own elementary from Jakku.

Rey gently nudged the girl toward the door, “I know, I know. Now get to class.”

“Don’t forget, Rey!”

Laughing, Rey waved her hand and watched as Mara ran into the school.

Now she had forty five minutes to kill.

“Might as well butter him up,” Rey muttered, walking in the direction of the coffee shop she often frequented after dropping Mara off.

The place was small, definitely a hole in the wall type of place that stood out amongst the usual luxury of Coruscant, but Rey loved the coffee and pastries they had there and it was much cheaper than other coffee shops.

Walking into the doors, Rey wandered around aimlessly looking at all of the pastries on the wall. What kind of pastry and coffee would a kind of mean/ kind of nice elementary school teacher like? Rey imagined a fifty year old man looking down at her from his perched glasses, inspecting the things she brought in with a careful eye.

Settling on a blueberry muffin and a plain latté, Rey bought her own order as well and checked the time. 8:43.

She began the brief walk back to the school, easily killing ten minutes before she walked through the front doors of the school and went into the office to check in. The woman gave her a quick once over that Rey didn’t miss, but was resigned to accept. In leggings and a big blue t-shirt she had received after donating blood in high school, she definitely stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all of the designer clothing and judiciously applied makeup. But she was comfortable, and it wasn’t like she could afford anything too nice with her salary when most of it went to her community college classes.

Rey offered a smile as she asked where the room she had been summoned to was, and waved with a ‘thanks’ as she stepped through the door and into the pristine hallway.

She was five minutes early, but when she made it to the right room (after missing it twice), she saw that the florescent light of the room was on and the door was wide open. The first thing she noticed when she got to the threshold and looked in was how neat everything was. It almost looked like a standard office, as if no one actually frequented it. A shiny gold pair of dice sitting on the shelf in the back told her otherwise, but besides that, there were no photos or sticky notes strewn about. Nothing personal tying someone to that specific room.

“Are you going to come in, or just loiter out there all day?” A deep, thick voice asked her, and immediately Rey’s stomach knotted.

Chin turning to the sound of the voice, Rey saw a tall man with long black hair that clung to the skin of his forehead. Her eyes gulped down the muscles she could see just barely visible beneath his dress shirt and black slacks, running up his body like a turtle race to reach his face.

_So, not fifty then._

“Mr. Solo?” Rey confirmed as she stepped into the room, feeling slightly strange at speaking to him as if he was her teacher as well, considering he couldn’t have been more than ten years her senior. She hoped he would let her call him by his first name.

“That would be me. Are you Mara’s mother?” He asked, his eyes taking on the judgmental look she knew well as he slid back over to the desk after throwing a piece of paper he held into the trash.

Rey ignored the look with a bit of annoyance, but she knew she was doing this for Mara and her parents. She sat down in the chair in front of the desk, noticing his placard that said ‘ _Ben Solo: History and Geography Teacher’._ “No, Mr. and Mrs. Hux are on a business trip and I’m the nanny, so they asked me to take their place.” Before forgetting, Rey quickly sat down the drink tray she had gotten at the coffee shop with his drink and muffin in it. “I hope it’s okay that I bought these. I had a little extra time.” When Mr. Solo made no move to grab any of the items, Rey figured he may want to know what they actually were. “Oh! The drink is just a regular latté and I got a blueberry muffin. I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I just got the most popular items.”

Slowly, long fingers slid across the desk to grab the drink from the tray and Rey released a breath she wasn’t aware she had been holding. That was of course until she saw him take in the label on the cup, a casual label that could have been from any convenience store and clearly wasn’t Starbucks or Stumptown. Like he was holding a motion censored bomb, he slid the cup to the edge of his desk before doing the same with the muffin.

Rey no longer noticed his muscles through her muddled mind of anger and indignation.

_What a fucking bastard._

“Thank you,” he spoke, not looking at her as he pulled out a paper from a stack that sat neatly on his desk before grabbing a shiny fountain pen and jotting something down. “Although I would have preferred to speak to a parent, I suppose the nanny will have to do.”

“I assure you, _Mr. Solo_ , that I will be able to relay any information and answer almost all questions.” Rey’s voice was cold, and she was fairly certain she hadn’t had to adopt that tone since high school whenever her foster father had tried to plead in front of the police after a particularly bad night. “Even if I am just the nanny,” she added, a bite to her words.

Mr. Solo’s eyes finally looked back up to her and in them she saw something surprising. Was that humor? Did he get a kick out of making people feel bad about themselves? “I suppose I’ll jump right into it then,” he coughed, tapping the end of the pen on the paper, and Rey watched as a circle of bloody ink surrounded it. “Mara doesn’t have any friends.”

Jolting upright in her seat, Rey laid her hands on the desk before her and nearly forgot all of her anger from the moment prior. “What?”

Mr. Solo nodded, taking his own hands off of his desk whenever he saw how close their hands had been to one another. Rey hadn’t even given it a glance. “Yes, I’ve noticed she sits alone during class and during lunch no one goes to her. I don’t quite understand it myself, since she seems to be a good student and nice to her peers, but I found it disturbing and worthy of a meeting with a parent.” He raised an eyebrow. “Or in this case, the babysitter.”

Ignoring that, Rey scratched the back of her neck. “I don’t understand, she’s always talking about things that other students have told her.” Rey shook her head, imagining Mara alone every day. “And she’s so sweet, Mr. Solo, I’ve never met a kid more kind than her.”

“Perhaps it’s nothing she’s done to upset them,” he responded, and to his credit Rey could tell he held a hint of apprehension when discussing his concerns for Mara. “From where I stand, it looks more like she’s the one shutting them out.”

Now that, Rey concluded, made sense. “Her parents can be… Abrasive. It’s likely that she’s learned some of their behavior.” She thrummed her fingers on the wooden desk, considering different options in her head. “I’ll talk to them about having her invite friends over on one of the upcoming weekends.” Still not fully understanding how the little girl she knew and began to love could be friendless, she continued. “Is there any sort of event coming up that I could chaperone for? I’d like to see it for myself, if you don’t mind.”

Mr. Solo nodded his head, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a laminated schedule. “There is a trip in two weeks where we will be staying overnight at Colonial Williamsburg, but,” he sat the schedule down, lifting his brown eyes to meet her concerned gaze. “I highly doubt the school will approve a _nanny_ as a chaperone.”

Rey’s jaw dropped from the rude tone, abruptly standing from her chair and slightly wincing from the scraping noise it made on the hardwood floor. “You know, it’s crazy. I’ve never been one for schoolyard gossip, but you are just as rude and horrible as your students say you are.” Rey moved from in front of the desk and began to walk to the door, then thought better of it and turned around and strutted back towards his now standing figure, pointing her finger out at the man who had made a lone appearance on her newly formed ‘Hate List’. “Maybe Mara isn’t the only one with antisocial behavior, you complete _knobhead_.” Snatching the coffee and muffin from his desk, she could almost laugh at the memory of Mara telling her he resembled a cat when he jerked away from the desk with the fast movement. Holding it in, Rey headed back for the door while calling over her shoulder, “see you in two weeks, _Ben_.”


	2. Delusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben get a bit closer than either of them intended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I updated it! This is just a fun little story while working on my other longer ones, but I'm having a blast. I'm thinking about writing one with soft boi Ben from the beginning instead of the enemies to lovers ones I've been writing. What do you guys think?

For two weeks, Rey was a man on a mission. Her disgust and repulsion for Ben Solo that had begun festering in a small, dark place in the lower pit of her stomach was a driving force that made Rey more determined than her employers knew what to do with. They were thankful when Rey had insisted, but when they questioned her motives, Rey hadn’t given a true answer. Not that she was afraid to tell them she hated Mara’s teacher. In fact, if Rey knew Phasma well enough, she was sure the woman likely wouldn’t get along with him either.

But the mere thought of speaking of him made her body cringe.

Had she really thought the man attractive before?

Three days after their encounter, Rey met with the principal and assistant principal of Mara’s school. Phasma joined them ten minutes later, not offering an excuse for her lateness, which somehow drew even more respect from the two older men. Rey hadn’t even the chance to speak in the discussion before they agreed, shaking Phasma’s hand and leaving the two in the small conference room.

...

Phasma ran her fingers through Mara’s hair, watching intently as the curls bounced when she let go. “Thank you again for doing this, Rey. I’ve never been the type to watch other people’s children.” The tall blonde woman smiled when her daughter looked up at her, then glanced back to Rey. “I’d have a cab out there within an hour.”

Rey chuckled, lifting her bag, then Mara’s bags onto her shoulders before leaning against the door. “Of course, you know I don’t mind at all.” She pondered whether to continue or not before ultimately gritting her teeth and allowing the words to slip out of her mouth. “Besides, I have a point to prove.”

“Oh?” Phasma questioned, a clear intrigue seeping through her usually bored tone.

“Mara, why don’t you go check in your room one more time and make sure there isn’t anything else you need to bring?” Rey asked, watching as the girl obediently followed her instructions and climbed the stairs with ease. Rey made sure she was out of earshot before she let the heat of tampered rage flush her cheeks. “Mara’s teacher is a complete jack off and was basically asserting some clear class differences at the parent teacher meeting a few weeks ago.”

Rey wasn’t quite sure how the woman would respond, but she definitely hadn’t thought she’d toss her head back and let out a throaty laugh. “Ben?” Confused still to the reaction she was receiving, Rey nodded her head with furrowed eyebrows. “Yeah, he’s a complete prick. Don’t let him get to you or else he won’t let up. He’s like a vicious pitbull.” Rey, an avid dog lover, did _not_ appreciate that comparison. She didn’t speak these thoughts. “There’s some rumors going around about why he’s like that, but I don’t know anything for certain and I know you’re not one for gossip.” The sudden thought that maybe she could make an exception was strong, but Rey ignored it. She wouldn’t become tacky because of her hatred for him.

“Well, no matter what it is, he has no right to be so awful. I’m going to take this weekend to make sure Mara is making friends, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to annoy the piss out of him at any given chance.” Rey heard tiny footsteps nearing the stairs and straightening up, both her and Phasma smiling widely when Mara came down with her toy rabbit stuffed under her arms. “Tell your mommy bye so we can go get on the bus!” Rey whispered excitedly, the pink of heat that had flamed her cheeks already disappearing.

...

Rey walked hand and hand with Mara as they made their way to the school, walking through the front door and signing in with a lady sitting at a table. Rey once again felt underdressed when they stepped through the cafeteria doors, seeing at least twenty other adults standing around the four tables full of children still half asleep in the pink early morning light.

Without intention, Rey found him almost immediately and quickly diverted her eyes to look down at Mara. The young girl seemed happy, but Rey could see the trepidation.

“Miss Niima!” A chipper male voice shouted, and Rey almost fell with the shock that the yell had given her. She saw Ben’s body tense, but once again couldn’t help but look away as quickly as her gaze had landed. Instead, she watched as a dark man with a room brightening smile made his way over to her. “You’re Miss Niima, right? I was told you were going to be accompanying Mara.” His kilowatt smile strayed to the girl, to which he waved, before focusing back on Rey. “I’m Finn Storm, BB’s father.”

Rey noticed the little girl stumbling after his quick movements, and shook the hand Finn had stretched out to her. “Rey Niima, but you knew that.” Her smile was cheeky, and soon she was on one knee in front of the little girl with beautiful brown eyes. “Hello BB, it’s nice to meet you.” Rey angled her chin to look at Mara, lifting one hand and gently tugging the young girl closer. “Have you met Mara?”

BB nodded shyly, stepping closer to her father’s leg. Rey was almost sure she had never seen anything so cute.

“Maybe you two can sit together while we wait?” Finn asked, and Rey could have smacked her lips right on his plush cheeks. What a brilliant idea!

“That sounds perfect!” Rey leaned down towards Mara, “I’ll be right beside you if you need me.”

Mara didn’t respond, but followed when BB smiled tenderly and waited for her to walk with her.

As the two young girls walked off, Rey and Finn matched steps while heading closer to the crowd of adults. Rey knew a certain adult was currently glaring a whole straight through her, but she didn’t even spare him a glance. “I feel a bit… Average,” Rey admitted with a laugh, noticing that once again she was dressed for comfort when no one else was.

“I think you look great,” Finn said beside her, but began sputtering when Rey’s eyes narrowed. “I mean, you look fine. Like someone should when they’re going to be taking a long car ride.” His hands were raised, palms facing out in defense.

Rey had already began laughing before he had finished the sentence, looking more than relieved when he didn’t keep going. Instead, she opted for a subject change. “Your daughter seems adorable.”

“Yeah?” Finn’s eyes took on a new twinkle, pride and admiration flooding his gaze when he watched his daughter and Mara interact. Well, it was more BB then Mara, but it was a start. “She’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Sometimes, I think the same of Mara. And she’s not even mine,” she breathed, realizing that it was the first time she was admitting to the emotional attachment out loud. It never boded well for her, and she already wished she hadn’t done it.

“Chaperones, if I could have your attention,” the familiar deep voice of Ben Solo rang out, immediately ceasing conversations in the room. Rey turned her attention to him and saw that he had a piece of paper grasped tightly in his grip. “We’re going to discuss the seating arrangements if everyone can _listen_.” Rey saw his eyes fall to her. Bastard. “The first two rows of seats on the two buses are for the parents, two to a seat. The first bus will hold Mrs. Cochran’s class and Mrs. Gutiérrez’s class. The second will hold Mrs. VanderWahl’s and my own. Please sit on the bus your child will be on.” And without another word, Ben Solo walked back toward the crowd, effectively removing himself from the spotlight.

“Charmer,” Finn spoke, voice no longer as chipper as it had been.

“You have no idea,” Rey responded, looking at the man beside her. “Would you like to sit together?” It felt surreal, like she had been transported back to her school days and was terrified that her new friend actually didn’t like her at all. Rey fought down the vicious anxiety that threatened to bubble up, instead offering a small smile as she waited for his response.

Finn’s responding look showed regret. “I would have loved to, but-“

“But BB is from Mrs. Gutiérrez’s class, so Mr. Storm will be on the first bus.” Rey felt her soul struggle to leave her body then, biting down hard on her lip to keep from screaming in Ben Solo’s face as he stood beside her, effectively making a triangle between the three of them.

Rey shrugged half heartedly, placing her hand on Finn’s shoulder with comfortable ease. “I guess I’ll just talk to you when we get there then. I’m sure there’s some else I can sit with.”

Finn opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before the sound could form on his tongue. “Actually, all of the other parents have already filled out a seating chart. You were the only one who didn’t put your signature down, Miss Niima,” Ben said, hands clasped behind his back as he spoke. It made things uncomfortable and formal, and Rey was already annoyed just talking to him in the first place.

“So, what does that mean? Do I just not get to sit?”

The corner of Ben’s mouth twitched, making Rey’s blood boil before he even answered. “Of course. There was one spot left.”

Rey was inbound like a hunting dog on a scent. She had seen the paper at the end of the first table, but hadn’t given it much thought since no one else was. Apparently that was because it had already been signed by everyone else.

She sucked her breath deep into her chest, part of her hoping the rest of her body would just shut off and let her hit the floor so that she could have an excuse not to go on this god forsaken trip anymore.

Right beside her name was the name “Ben Solo” neatly printed.

“You’ve got to be fu-“

“Language, Miss Niima,” the thick voice chided, much closer to her than she would have ever wanted him to be. “There’s young ears.”

Rey spun around like a less than graceful ballerina, almost smacking her head into his if he hadn’t moved it out of the way in time. She gritted out, “you’re lucky there’s children around or I would be doing a lot worse than saying some bad words, _Ben Solo_. Why on Earth would you think I would ever want to sit beside you?”

Ben’s once playful smirk turned into a frown, quickly being marred by agitation. “I assure you it wasn’t of my doing. My name was on that paper long before yours was, _nanny._ ”

“ _Barbarian_.”

“ _Riff raff_.”

“God!” she half whispered, half shouted. “What are you, sixty-five?”

Ben clenched his knuckles tightly against his sides, and Rey thought it was something of a victory. Was he insecure about his age? Great, at least she had something on him.

“If we could all make our way to the buses, please,” a different teacher asked, this one much older than either she or Ben.

Rey gave Ben a heated glare before strutting to Mara to make sure she made it to the right place, trying her best to forget that she was about to have to spend several hours in a confined space with a man she’d like to see choke on his own spit.

When she finally made it up to the front of the bus after helping Mara get settled in her own seat, Rey noted with disdain that Ben was standing at beside the driver. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought he was doing it to be able to talk to the entire bus at once in a few moments. That would have been a normal reason.

But no, Rey could see him watching her, nearly _grinning_ as he watched her eyes flash with rage while settling into the small seat against the window. As soon as she stopped wiggling around to get comfortable, he walked towards her and sat his things down onto the seat where he would be occupying soon.

“I have a list of everything in this bag,” his deep voice spoke out and would have been lost in the sea of voices if it hadn’t been so close to her, and Rey desperately reminded herself how much of an asshole he was because at that very moment, it almost felt like velvet wrapping around her.

Not that she knew what velvet even felt like.

Blinking her hazel eyes, she looked up at him with disbelief. “Do… Do you actually think I would steal from you?” She wasn’t sure why, knew it was something that the douchebag _would_ say, but somehow it still hurt. More than she would ever want to admit, especially to him. Still, she was sure she hadn’t done the best job of concealing it.

Now the one blinking rapidly was the man before her. He stood in the isle for several long seconds before lifting his bag and quickly replacing the space with himself all while looking at her intently. “No, I meant that more as a warning in case you decided to display more of your hatred toward me and mess with my stuff to bother me.”

“Do you think I want to hate you?” Rey asked, turning to look out the window. “I don’t like hating you. Or anyone, for that matter. You’re the one who said horrible things to me when we first met,” she reminded him, then looked over while adding more bite to her voice. “And is still saying them.”

She felt anxious when he didn’t immediately respond with a retort. In fact, if she had bothered to keep her eyes trained on him, she would have seen many emotions cross his features.

Finally, he breathed out. “I apologize, Miss Niima. I’ll admit that I’ve been less than friendly to you since we’ve met.”

Rey gaped like a fish out of water that had a hook torn from its cheek. She definitely hadn’t expected their conversation to go like this. “Uh,” Rey began, not quite sure what to say to this complete game changer. She had been anticipating trying to simultaneously avoid and jibe at Ben for the next 30 hours. “Rey.”

“Excuse me?” Ben asked.

“My name. It’s Rey,” she clarified, pulling her bag closer to her chest in a habit that she wasn’t completely over from childhood. “You can call me Rey.”

This man was just _full_ of surprises today, and Rey should just give up while she could. That’s what she told herself when she saw that Ben was now smiling at her. Not smirking, not grinning- actually tilting his large lips up at the corners with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Rey,” he tested the words like a new wine in his mouth, and Rey realized her mind was going on a bit of tangent when thinking about everything else that he might do with his mouth. “I’d tell you to call me Ben, but you’ve already taken it upon yourself to do so.”

Biting her lip, Rey turned her head to look out the window again. This time, in self-preservation. “It felt strange- to call you like a teacher, I mean.”

“I am a teacher,” Ben chuckled. “One moment, please.” He said, then stood up and turned to meet the eyes of the children. “We’re going to be stopping three times on the way there. The first for a restroom break, the second to get lunch, and the third for restroom again.” He leaned onto the back of the seat that he and Rey had been resting against just moments prior, and she couldn’t stop herself from letting her hungry eyes divulge in the guilty pleasure that was his arm muscles. “I’d prefer it if those were the only three stops we had to make, but if there is an emergency, please let either me or one of the chaperones know and we will try to get somewhere as quickly as possible. You may eat if you brought snacks, which I hope you did.”

A gentle hand pressing on his arm had him turning to look into the seat beside him, seeing Rey mouthing ‘sorry’ before standing up beside him. “If any of you forgot a snack or weren’t able to pack one, please let me know now. I brought plenty of extras.”

Ben looked from Rey to the children, seeing some get excited at the prospect of food. He nodded, watching as they sprung up and walked down the isle towards the two of them. Rey was perched on her heel, one leg hanging off of the pleather chair as she reached over Ben to hand each child a snack and a juicebox that she had stuffed into her bag before leaving that morning. “You look like a mother hen,” he whispered to her, lips dangerously close to the shell of her ear.

A smack on the floor told Rey she had dropped one of the snacks, and she hurried to pick it up while muttering an apology with reddened cheeks. When the last kid had gotten their snack and juicebox, Rey only had three of both left in her bag. She sat it down on her lap and watched it fall flat, reminding her of an anti-marijuana commercial she had seen as a kid.

“Alright?” Ben asked, and she heard the teasing in his tone.

“Just peachy,” Rey responded.

With a smirk, the infuriatingly attractive and possibly bipolar man turned in their seat to talk to one of the chaperones that was sitting beside them. Rey struggled to readjust to a comfortable position before settling once more and looking out the window. The tug of the bus moving was relaxing to the point of lulling her to a state of content, and after fifteen or twenty minutes of inactivity, her eyes were fluttering closed without her consent.

She awoke with a shiver sometime later, but before her hazy brain could comprehend it, she was suddenly warm and snuggled into the sensation, once more letting the certainty of sleep embrace her.

“-line outside the bathroom. If you have extra money and would like to purchase something to snack on, you may.”

The balminess of the voice made her sigh, only squeezing onto the comfort she had obtained through sleep even more. That was, of course, until she heard Mara’s voice cut through the haze. “Rey? Are you coming?”

Rey’s eyes shot open, seeing the sweet little girl standing in the isle beside her. She nodded, and then felt something strange beneath her chin. Moving back against the wall like a frightened animal, Rey saw Ben Solo sitting in the seat beside her, not quite meeting her gaze. As she slowly came back to herself, she zoned in on a wetness that cooled her cheek, and a puddle of what she could only assumed was her slobber staining his left shoulder.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Ben,” Rey rasped, her voice not fully back to normal yet. Looking down, she saw that she had a blanket covering her as well. One that clearly wasn’t hers. “Do you know whose this is? I’d like to thank them and give it back.”

Large, strong hands reached up and grabbed the soft cloth from her, folding it neatly on his lap before placing it into his bag. “If you had been practical and packed more than snacks and drinks for the kids, I wouldn’t have had to use my own blanket to keep you from chattering your teeth in the corner.”

Despite the tone, Rey saw the flush of his ears through his hair and knew he held no true malicious intent. So, Ben had given her a blanket _and_ let her drool on him? This was one hell of a 180 from just a few hours prior. “Ben,” she said, reaching out and touching his forearm as he held onto the seat in front of them to stand. Instead of completing his journey to his feet, he fell back down lethargically and breathed out while letting his gaze meet hers. “Thank you. I’m sure it was horrible for you to let me do that and I’m probably going to be embarrassed for the rest of this ride, but thank you.”

Ben only nodded, going to stand back up again. Once standing in the isle, looking around to see the bus was completely empty, he looked at her over his shoulder. “It wasn’t horrible for me, Rey.”

Then he was off, almost sprinting down the stairs and stomping through the front of the convenience store.

When Rey recovered from yet another curve ball Ben Solo shot at her, she was walking around the small store with her eyes peeled for any wayward children, eventually stopping on a refrigerator filled with different types of cold coffee. She quickly grabbed one, determined to keep herself awake for the rest of the ride. Making sure she had enough money, Rey reached into her back pocket only to find that her wallet wasn’t there.

“ _Shit.”_ She knew without a doubt that she had left it at the Hux’s.

“Everything okay, Rey?”

Rey looked behind her to see Finn with an amused expression, clearly having heard the word escape her lips without reprise. “Yeah, sorry. I just realized something, but it’s really not a big deal.” Subtly placing the Dunkin Donuts mocha coffee back into the freezer, she walked over to him and they chatted while he gradually placed snacks into his arms. “How was the ride?”

“Oh, it’s been fine.” She could tell he hadn’t enjoyed it, however. “I’m sitting next to one of the moms, her name is Connix. She’s been pretty quiet the whole time.” After he was hunkered down like a pack mule, Finn made his way towards the front counter to pay, only to stop and turn to her. “Did you want anything? I see you’re not buying something.”

Rey shrugged, waving off his offer. “Oh, no. I’ve got some stuff packed away for the trip so I wouldn’t have to buy anything.”

“Oh, I see. You’re a planner.” Finn grinned, taking out his card to pay for the snacks he was buying. “I bet you brought half a house with you.”

A laugh erupted from her, Finn thinking it was in agreeance when really she was laughing at the absurdity of it. She was a planner when it came to Mara, but when it came to taking care of herself, Rey was a lost cause. She could be moving to a new house, pack everything up, and realize she had only taken the trash when she got there.

The moment was cut short however when Ben walked past them. “We’re heading back to the bus.” He looked between the two of them before thinking to add, “now.”

Rey rolled her eyes, then grinned to Finn. “You’re lucky your seat mate doesn’t speak.”

Realization dawned on Finn, and she was met with a look of pity and distress. “Solo is your seat buddy? Are you okay?”

Once again, she laughed at him saying something absurd. “I’m absolutely fine. He actually apologized for being rude to me before hand, so I think we’re off to the start of beautiful friendship.” Finn looked unsure, but she only continued walking towards the door, holding it open for him to pass through. “See you for lunch?”

That brought him back. His white teeth glistening in the mid day sun. “Wouldn’t miss it if I could.”

When Rey climbed the stairs to the bus, she noticed two things immediately. One, Mara was sitting with a girl and was responding to something she had said, a small smile on her face. Two, Ben Solo was standing beside their seat, clearly waiting for her to sit down while discussing where to go to lunch with the other chaperones. When Rey scooted into the seat, she saw something that made her chest lurch.

As soon as Ben sat down, she was on him.

“Did you buy me this?” Rey asked while holding up the Dunkin Donuts mocha coffee she had almost bought earlier.

Ben averted his gaze, his jaw tensing as he thought of a response. “Yes,” he finally answered. Rey gave him a moment before realizing he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“You didn’t have to,” she told him, but held the cool bottle to the small amount of exposed skin of her collar anyway.

Ben nodded, “you’re right, I didn’t have to.” He slid those long fingers along the jeans he wore, a sin if Rey had ever seen one, and drew one hand up to run through his thick black hair. “I saw you pick it up and then put it back whenever Mr. _Storm_ was speaking to you.” Rey couldn’t ignore the way he’d said Finn’s last name, but she decided now wasn’t the time to broach that topic. She was no part of any former rivalry or what not.

“Yeah, about that…” Rey looked down at her own hand resting on her thigh. “I forgot my wallet at Mara’s parents house.”

Ben swiveled around so quickly, her head spun. “You don’t have any money?”

She was confused by the expressions he was showing, but nodded slowly anyway. “It’s fine, though. I can wait until we get there.”

“That’s not for another at least nine hours, Rey.” His eyes were fervent, and they drew Rey in like a moth to a flame. Why did this man seem so intriguing to her so quickly after she had despised him?

“I’ve gone longer,” she responded, and that had _not_ been what he had wanted to hear.

“I don’t give a _fuck_ if you’ve gone longer,” he hissed quietly, and something about the curse word being spat from his lips made Rey’s insides curl up. “I’m paying for your lunch.”

She realized it was a command and not a request, but she denied it anyway. “No, Ben, that’s really not necessary. I’ll be fine.” If she let him pay for this too, he’d likely start to think of her as beneath him again, and she really didn’t like that. It had made her feel awful, and to know she couldn’t pay for herself was making her feel even worse.

Ben, however, wasn’t okay with that. “Yes, you’ll be fine because you’re going to accept me paying for you like a good girl.”

Well, fuck if that didn’t make her squirm in her tiny seat. Ben’s eyes tracked the action, but Rey spoke up before she could become any more embarrassed. “I’ll let you pay for me if you let me pay you back.”

He considered that quietly, mulling it over in his primitive male brain. She wasn’t sure why he was being so demanding all of a sudden, but she equal parts hated and adored it. “Fine,” was his reply.

Satisfied that she had solved her money crisis and was able to calm down from the itch between her thighs, she leaned back against the seat again and clicked open the top of the iced coffee and took a sip, unable to keep the breathy moan from being whispered. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her daily coffee routine until it was on her tongue and livening up her senses.

Ben was tense in the seat beside her, their shoulders brushing every time there was any sort of bump in the road. When she heard him take in a breath of air, she knew he was about to speak. “I’m sorry for not drinking the coffee you bought me before.”

“Yeah,” Rey thought about how to respond to that. Remembering that particular incident made her want to bludgeon him to death, despite their new friendliness towards one another. “Why’d you do that?” She sounded like a baffled child even to herself. She sounded weak.

He turned his head slightly, his uneven chin aimed in her direction. “I hurt you.”

Rey scoffed. “Of course you hurt me, you daft twit.” Her toes curled in her tennis shoes, stretching them out before her as far as she could before the seat in front of her stopped her movement. “Doesn’t feel great to be made to feel like an animal in the zoo when everyone else gets to be the people.”

Looking at Ben’s long legs, she sympathized with him in that moment, even though they were discussing something that made her upset with him. His poor long legs were at a an acute angle, knees pressed deep into the fabric of the seat before them. “It wasn’t my intention to make you feel like an animal.” When Rey shot him a look, he amended, “alright, it wasn’t exactly _not_ my intention to make you feel like an animal either.” She nodded at that, looking back at her legs. “I’ve allowed myself to get caught up in the superfluity of Upper Coruscant therefore when I saw you come in with a worn out t-shirt and whatever those tight pants are called,” as Ben struggled through his words, Rey noted that he had remembered her outfit. “I knew you didn’t belong and I wanted you to know that as well.”

Her laugh was unexpected, but not unpleasant to his ears. “You didn’t need to do that, I already knew. I only travel to Upper Coruscant for Mara.”

“Where do you live?”

Rey felt insecure all of a sudden. “The Industrial District.”

She heard a knuckle pop beside her. “Surely The Hux’s pay you a nice enough salary to not have to live _there_.” When she glanced towards him, he was staring directly at her.

Foregoing the shy glances and indirect stares, Rey turned in her seat and pressed her knees into the side of his left thigh. “They do. But most of the money I make goes to classes.”

“Classes?” Ben cocked his head. “College classes?”

“No, cooking classes.” Rey rolled her eyes, shifting to get a bit more comfortable. “Yes, college classes.”

“How old are you?” Ben asked, and for some reason, it felt extremely loaded. Like her answer would make or break the long bus ride they still had together.

Unknowingly holding her breath, Rey responded, “twenty.”

“Oh,” was all he said. This man was going to cause her to go into cardiac arrest at the tender age of twenty. ‘Oh’? What the hell does ‘oh’ mean in the given situation?

“How-“ Rey’s voice croaked, having not realized her earlier inhale had never been exhaled. Ben watched her get her breathing right, then try again. “How old are you?”

“Not sixty-five,” he replied smoothly, a call back to their conversation from hours before. Rey giggled, and the mood was significantly lightened. “Thirty-one.”

She wasn’t sure of herself, but to her, it looked like he was expecting something. Something not good. “So, not even half of sixty-five? I’m usually better at this.”

And then it happened. The laugh left his mouth and immediately shot right through the slightly to the left part of her chest. It left a gaping, fresh and bloody hole where it went through, and Rey didn’t know how to close it.

Then, they were slammed forward, Ben’s arm sticking out quickly to catch Rey from sliding off into the chasm in front of the seat, forearm muscles pushed to the surface while pulling her back into her prior position. “What’s going on?” He asked, voice back to its original coldness as he addressed the driver. Ben stood, his hand absent mindedly resting on Rey’s shoulder. Thumb caressing the thin fabric of her shirt.

“I think we just had a blow out,” the female driver responded.

“You think?” Ben asked, finally moving from their seat to go towards the front.

Rey spun around, eyes seeking auburn hair. “Mara, you okay?” She questioned amongst the other parents and teachers who were also checking on the children.

The red mess of curls sat up higher in her seat. “I’m fine, Rey! Me and Diana had our feet on the seat!”

Rey smiled back at her over the dozens of heads in her way. “Okay! Have fun, stay seated, and let me know if you need anything.” Turning back towards when Ben was slightly hunched over and listening to the driver, Rey stood and headed for them, patiently waiting as some other parents talked rapidly for them to move.

Before she could make it to the front, she hit a hard wall which was inexplicably warm. Once the big hands fell on her shoulders and spun her around, she had a good guess as to what she had hit.

“Blown tire,” Ben said to her, close enough for his hot breath to move the hairs hanging loosely on her neck. Once he got them back to their seat, the crowd of parents moving out of the way suspiciously quicker for him than they did her, he knelt down onto the seat as he grabbed his bag. “There’s no service where we are right now, but I see some kind of store probably half a mile ahead so I’m going to walk there and use their phone.”

“Ben, that is clearly the plot of a horrible horror movie.” Rey grabbed her bag, sitting straighter in the seat. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“ _No_ ,” he emphasized, as if it was final.

It wasn’t. “You’re not _my_ teacher, Mr. Solo. I’ll follow you even if you tell me no.”

Ben gripped the backrest of the seat, shaking his head. “Why is it that I can never win an argument with you?”

“Because I’m younger and smarter than you,” Rey smiled chirpily. “Now move so I can talk to Mara.”

Obeying, Ben pulled himself to his feet and allowed her to move past him. Rey went to the seat where Mara was currently playing with who Rey could only assume was Diana, leaning over to get her attention. When her blue eyes found Rey, the older woman smiled. “Hey, kiddo. We have a bad tire so me and Mr. Solo are going to walk to the store down the road and call someone to come fix it. Stay seated and be good for the other parents, okay?”

Mara’s eyebrows furrowed together, and in the moment, Rey thought she looked just like Armitage. “Is it safe? Should I come with you?”

Why did that remind her of the way she had responded to Ben telling her he was walking? “No, no. We’ll be back in just a minute.” Rey grabbed Mara’s bag off of the floor and opened it up, making sure she hadn’t depleted all of the snacks Rey had packed for her. “Do you need anything?”

Mara shook her head, and Rey hugged her quickly before standing up. “Be safe.”

“Always,” Rey easily replied, rubbing the girls chin before turning around and catching Ben’s eye. Her cheeks heated up from the way he was looking at her, and as she walked forward, she nearly stumbled, only making them warmer.

“You’re sure you’re not her mother?” Ben asked as soon as they got onto the pavement of the street.

“Pretty positive.”

It was quiet between them after that.

They walked in peaceful silence until they got to the parking lot of the store he had seen. It was a run-down gas station, the outer walls painted lime green and bars over the windows. To Rey, it felt like every other gas station she’d ever been to. To Ben, it was danger.

His long fingers wrapped around her wrist when she kept walking past his stopped form, not so lightly bringing her to a stop. “Stay by me.”

_Oh, you’ve got to be joking._ “Ben,” Rey said sweetly, her own fingers trailing down the ones in a vice grip on her wrist. His fingers felt good on her, but perhaps not in this situation. “I can take care of myself.”

This didn’t seem to deter him. But it did make him take on a new approach. “Rey, please.” He stepped closer to her, his broad chest lightly brushing against her own as he towered over her. Rey immediately felt the tightening in her chest and knew that she needed to cover it quickly before he realized that she had reacted to him. It wasn’t even cold outside, so the imprint of her nipples on her shirt would be hard to explain. “Humor me.”

Not remembering what he had asked of her, Rey drunkenly nodded, so caught up in the sensations that she knew needed to stop.

A smug look took over from the sincere one, and she realized she’d been tricked. Ben’s hand stayed wrapped over hers, pulling her with him as they entered the store.

A few minutes later when Ben was perched on the front counter, phone in hand and speaking to who Rey assumed was a local mechanic, she found her hand still in his grasp. By that point, she didn’t mind.

“They said it could take two hours before they even get here.”

Drawing Rey from her thoughts, Ben watched her patiently gather herself from whatever she had been so distracted by. “Huh?”

“The mechanics are currently busy, so they said they could take two hours before they could come,” he repeated, his fingers tightening comfortable over her hand.

“But that would ruin the schedule!”

Ben pulled her closer, not liking that she was standing three feet away with their arms stretched nearly parallel to the floor to keep their hands together. “I know. I was thinking we can move everyone to the other bus to keep the schedule, and then I’ll stay behind and wait with the driver to pay the mechanic and we’ll follow after, and then we can all meet up again at the restaurant.”

“Isn’t that going to be too many people?” Rey questioned. She cared more about Mara’s safety than keeping a schedule.

“No, we have thirty-three people on the first bus and thirty-two on the second. The maximum is seventy-two, so it should be fine.” He looked around them, then began walking, half dragging her with him. “Thank you, again,” he told the man who ran the store, pushing open the front door that made a bell noise, holding the door open for Rey to walk through.

“I’ll stay with you,” Rey spoke quietly into the afternoon heat. When she felt a tug beside her, she looked at Ben. “If you want, I mean.”

Ben’s pink lips tilted in the corners as he stared down at her. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll have to make sure Mara isn’t going to be upset by me not being there, but yes. If you want,” she remembered to add the last part, not wanting him to think she was eager to be alone with him for two hours or anything.

“I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left. What could happen?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you enjoyed it, and feel free to mention any tropes you'd like me to add since I'm pretty much freeballing.


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